The Winter Warrior
by Spartan10007
Summary: House Winter lives for the thrill of battle. The Winter heir; however, has set his sights on the youngest daughter of the Forresters. Since their youth, the two had become the best of friends, and now he has come to help them in their time of need. Now is the time for his enemies to stand down, and [Fear the cold]
1. Chapter 1

Hey. Watching and playing the Game of Thrones game made me want to make this. So let's bring up the Stat Chart:

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Let's start this

* * *

As Gared rode away on his horse, Talia and his Uncle watched as he left his home. Once he left their sight, an owl came flying down carrying a message on it's leg.

"Well now, I know of only one house that uses owls to communicate" Duncan says (A.N. I don't remember if they use owls so...continuing)

"Yes, do you think...?"

"Only one way to find out"

The letter was brought to the Great Hall and given to Lady Forrester, who read the read with growing interest.

"What is it mother?" Talia asks

"I need to speak to Tuttle alone dear" Lady Forrester says

"Of course mother" Talia says and takes her leave

As soon as the door to the Great Hall closes, Lady Forrester addressed her castellan while reading over the letter again.

"Do you remember a boy by the name of James Winter?" Lady Forrester asks

"Vaguely, my lady. He was friends with Talia, wasn't he?"

"Yes. He was a very kind boy, despite his upbringing"

"What should we do, my lady? He'll be visiting in some time"

"We should inform Ethan of these developments. He is the new lord"

"Of course, my lady"

Ser Royland came in saying that Lord Whitehill had come to settle something. He went off to fetch Lord Ethan while Lady Forrester went to her chambers to send a reply to House Winter.

* * *

Towards the Wall, the Lord of House Winter was watching over his son's training. He was to fight four men at once, with only a shield. Lord Winter opened the return owl, and after reading it, he looked back up to find the four people incapacitated, lying on the ground and moaning.

With a smile, Lord Winter approached his second-born son, planning everything in his head.

"James, the Forresters have responded" Lord Winter says

"And, father?"

"You will go with your personnel guard to Ironrath and work out an alliance. Make the preparations"

"Yes, father"

Marcus the Marauder knew that he could trust his son, but he didn't trust Ramsey Snow or Roose Bolton to not start something. While James prepared to leave, Marcus started preparing his army, and intensified their training.

A few days later, James was approaching the iron gate to Ironrath with his personal guard of thirty men. Once he arrived, a guard approached him.

"I am James Winter, and I have come on behalf of my father, Lord Winter"

The guard's eyes widened before he ordered the men to open the gate. James walked the horses a bit inside before dismounting. James' personnel guard stood by the horses to wait while James was led inside by the castellan into the Great Hall.

Once inside, James sees Ethan sitting on a chair looking a bit stressed.

"Lord Ethan, the son of Lord Winter had arrived" Duncan introduces

"Ah, James, good to see a friend"

"Good to see you too, my lord"

Talia walked past the open doors and noticed James. She started to walk in, but Duncan sent a silent signal to wait.

"My condolences for your father"

"Thank you. I understand that you wish to make an alliance between our two Houses"

"Yes. After recent events, you may need our support, no offence intended my lord"

"Of course. Lord Whitehill had visited a few days before, and we have received word that Ramsey Snow is coming"

"Well it's a good thing I came then"

James and Ethan then caught up a bit on recent events. James told him that his father was still making the best soldiers around while Ethan said that they were still making the best Ironwood around. Both of them laughed with each other in comradery. James just noticed Talia, and took a moment to take in her appearance.

She had grown up since she was a child. She wasn't gorgeous, but had more of an innocent beauty.

"Talia...so nice to see you"

"Ser James"

"Perhaps you two would like to reacquaint yourselves with each other" Duncan says

James holds out his arm and Talia takes it as they walk out into the forest. Outside, they started talking about the past, remembering when they use to play with Rodrick and Eleana in the forest. The two would have made a beautiful couple if Rodrick was still alive.

Feeling playful, Talia ran off and hid somewhere in the woods. Smiling to himself, James started looking for her. Talia hid behind one of the large trees in the forest while James was getting closer and closer. Once he was close enough, she jumped out and grabbed onto him. This action caused him to trip over some roots, causing them to fall down.

They landed with a thud, as their lips quickly touched and separated. They quickly moved to a sitting position with small blushes on their faces.

"What would my father say if he were here? Oh, sorry Talia"

"It's fine. I know my father died fighting. And that he was an honorable man"

Talia rested her head on James' shoulder and says, "You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not" James responds

James leans them both against the big tree and they decided to take a quick nap. Lady Forrester had gone searching for Talia, wanting to tell her about Malcolm leaving. And that Ramsey Snow would be arriving in a few days. She was quite surprised to find her child asleep in the arms of James Winter. She smiled to herself and decided to tell her later.

After a couple hours, Talia finally woke up and saw that the sun was setting.

"James! We've slept too late"

"Oh no, I shouldn't have kept you out so long"

"It's fine. I'll just explain it to my mother, it'll be fine"

James nods in acknowledgment and helps Talia up. They then make their way back to the castle and went inside. Lady Foresster led Talia to her bedchamber while James went to the guest bedroom. When he got there, he placed his sword by the head of his bed and took his armor off. He then laid down and fell asleep once more.

In Talia's room, she had gotten ready as well and her mother was waiting for her to settle down.

"Is there something that you wish to talk about mother?" Talia asks

"No, nothing" Lady Forrester says with a smile on her face, "Sleep well"

Lady Foresster exited her room and let Talia go back to sleep

* * *

Time had passed, and James' men were given Ironwood shields in good faith, while James' men helped train the Foresster soldiers. James was currently overseeing the training while Ethan was with the Maester on top of a tower. Ser Royland then brought someone out, calling his a craven and traitor. A crowd gathered as a result.

Ethan went down from his perch and delivered his judgment. The man was given mercy, as Ethan said, "I am the lord, and mercy shows greater strength".

Soon the crowd dispersed and went back to their activities. James let Ser Royland handle the training again and walked up to Talia, who was brushing her horse.

"Hello James" Talia greets

"Hello Talia, how're you doing on this fine day?"

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking"

Talia then excuses herself for a quick second and pulls Ethan away from her Uncle Malcolm. From what James catches, Ethan was having some difficulty in choosing a Sentinel. James personally thought that Duncan would be a good choice. He was level headed and would offer Ethan useful ideas. Ser Royland seemed the type to rush into a battle without any knowledge of the enemy.

Talia soon returned to find James with a pensive look on his face. She approached him and nudged him on the arm to get his attention.

"Oh, Talia, you're back"

"You seemed to be in deep thought, something troubling you?"

"Ramsey Snow seems to be causing a lot of trouble, so I can't help but feel worried for you"

Smiling, Talia says, "Well I'm glad that you care for me, but you needn't worry. Hopefully this encounter will end as soon as possible. Besides, I know how to wield a sword"

Talia and James spent the rest of the day with each other, and the occasional brush of the hand. Eventually Talia and James were informed that Duncan Tuttle was chosen as the Sentinel and they Ethan was going to meet Ramsey in the Great Hall. James asked Ethan if he could help with security, to which he gladly agreed.

Soon, the day had come where Ramsey would be at the gates, and James waited with his men, eagerly waiting to kill the Whitehill men.

"Steady men, we don't need to kill them, yet"

Soon Ramsey Snow, Lord Whitehill, and their men arrived outside the gate. They were let in, only Ramsey and Whitehill. James went inside with the two lords, and escorted them inside. Ramsey and Ethan exchanged pleasantries, but things started getting tense. Ramsey ordered a twenty man garrison to be posted in Ironrath.

Surprisingly, the Whitehill men entered the door, brandishing their swords. Ramsey then grabbed Talia away from James' and her mother's side. James held his sword handle, ready to kill the bastard where he stood, but Talia nodded at him not to. Ethan chose to stay silent, and Ramsey adopted an annoyed expression for a fraction of a second.

"I guess you can stay" Ramsey says, letting go of Talia, who ran into James' arms

"Aren't you the wise lord" Ramsey says, before stabbing a knife into Ethan's neck. Shocked by this action, James only stands there as Ethan's body falls to the ground. Ramsey then pulled Ryon away and gave him to Lord Whitehill. He then left with a flourish and left the family in despair.

Finally gathering his barrings, James ran outside and saw the killers just about to leave through the gates.

"CLOSE THE BLOODY GATES!" James yells

The gates quickly fell, blocking Ramsey and Lord Whitehill from leaving. The Whitehill, Forrester, and Winter soldiers pulled out their weapons, ready to fight.

"Is there something wrong?" Ramsey asks

"Open the bloody gate!" Whitehill yells

James merely pulls out his sword and waves it slowly in a horizontal direction. He then rests it on his shoulder and stares Ramsey down.

"You killed the Forrester Lord...and that needs to be payed in blood"

"I don't need to do anything, except leave, so open the gates"

"Not gonna happen. If you're leaving, then half of your men will have to die"

"...fine"

A bit skeptical at his response, James asks, "Why are you so agreeing to me killing your men when I was told that you made a fuss about one soldier dieing?"

"It was a squire that killed him. And besides, we can just send ten more. There's no trouble in replacing soldiers"

"Get the hell out of here before I kill you myself"

The gates opens half way, making Ramsey and Whitehill duck in order to leave. Ten men were randomly chosen, and brought to the center of the area. James' men made two circles to block any exit or interference. Talia ran out from the front entrance with tears running down her eyes and sees the execution about to take place. Seeing Talia, James leaves the center and approaches her. Talia runs up to him and latches onto him, not wanting to let go as she sobs onto him.

Everyone saw the sad display, which also fueled their anger at the Whitehill soldiers. James gently pried Talia off him and looked into her red and tear filled eyes.

"I will make them pay" James says, "And this is only the beginning"

James turned back to the Whitehill soldiers and gripped his sword. Getting to the first soldier, James looks around and sees his men and the Forresters with murderous glares on their face. Talia was watching with a grim expression. With a shake of the head from James, Talia leaves, not wanting to witness the horrible scene.

Focusing on the soldier in front of him, James says, "You know what's going to happen"

The Whitehill soldier merely stares defiantly at him. With a swing of his sword, James severed the man's head from his shoulders. The other Whitehill soldiers looked at him with fear and horror. James moved to the next one, only this time he grabbed two knifes from a Winter soldier and buried them in his legs. James then stabbed him through the throat with his sword.

The third soldier was stabbed through his forehead and was pried off, and the fourth had his head split in half in a vertical line. The fifth and sixth were decapitated like the first solder, but with a large hammer, and two of the "Giants" carried out the task. The seventh soldier had his eyes stabbed through, and the eighth had a blade shoved through his mouth and an arrow shanked into his groin. For the ninth one, James ordered archers to take aim. The poor soul was impaled with almost hundreds of arrows, even after he died.

The tenth man looked like he was going to shit himself. James cleaned his sword on he solder's shoulder pads, and sheathed it. James then cracked his knuckled and grabbed the man's head. With a crunch, the man's body fell to the ground. James' men picked up the bodies to dispose of them while the remaining Whitehill solders looked angry and scared shitless.

James left to clean the blood off himself, which was dripping off of him creating small puddles. James entered his room and took his top armor and tunic off, leaving him shirtless. Going into the guest wash room, James looks into the mirror and sees the blood covering his face. James cleaned off his face as he heard the door to his chamber open.

Wiping off his face, James leaves the wash room to find Talia sitting on his bed waiting for him. She holds out her arms, and he walks over and hugs her. Talia breaks down and starts sobbing onto James' shoulder as he comforts her. Soon, she cried herself to sleep, and James puts her under his bed cover and lies down as well. James feels Talia cuddle up to him, and he wraps his arm around her protectively.

If it was a fight Ramsey wanted, then that's what he was going to get.

* * *

A.N. That's the end of the chapter. I'm going to be updating based on the game updates. Obviously things are going to be different so...yeah.

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Hey everyone. Let's bring up the Stat Chart

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I really didn't think that this story was going to have a good view number, thanks everyone. Let's start

* * *

Days had passed since Ethan's death, and Talia was charged with making a song for the funeral. The extra soldiers had yet to come for the Whitehills, and some of the Whitehills were starting to get nervous. James had been training the Forrester soldiers when he saw a commotion at the gate. A caravan had been 'driven' in and the person sitting on the 'driver's' seat claimed to have dead Forresters.

Ser Royland brandished his sword and sent him away. However, James noticed someone trying to leave the caravan and fell off the back. Ser Royland approached the cadaver and yelled for the Maester. The body had turned out to be a very much alive Rodrick. From there, Rodrick was attended to, and was eventually moved to his bed chambers to recover.

James had Talia sitting on his lap writing some ideas for the song in Rodrick's room. Rodrick was sleeping on his bed, and looked better than when they first saw him. The sound of a vase (?) breaking alerted them to Rodrick.

"Morning you two" Rodrick says with a smile.

"Rodrick! Thank the Gods" Talia exclaims, jumping out of James' lap, and discards the paper and quill. She runs over to Rodrick and envelops him in a hug. "Brother, I thought I'd lost you"

Talia lets go when Rodrick lets out a small grunt in pain. James joined them as they embraced each other again a bit more gently.

"James"

"Rodrick"

"You've grown. You don't look like that small boy that I knew when we were younger"

"It's good to see you too"

"So how bad it is?" Talia asks, gesturing to his leg, "The maester says that it'll never fully heal...and your face"

"These wounds will heal, Talia"

"I know, soon you'll be back to your old self"

Talia adopted a sad look, and James knew what she was going to say. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, to which Talia returned with a smile, before she started speaking.

"Rodrick...there's something you need to know..."

"Ethan...is dead" James says

"Ethan!?" Rodrick exclaims

"Roose Bolton's bastard came here and threatened to take me away..."

"Ethan protected her, but paid with his own life..."

"And that monster put a blade through his throat" Talia finishes with a grimace, "Like it was nothing"

Talia hugged her brother in comfort while James watched with a sad expression.

"We'll make him pay" Rodrick says

"Good...we're planning to honor Ethan in the grove...alongside, father. Now mother wants me to write a song for the funeral. I can't...even with James' help"

"Don't cry sister" Rodrick says as Talia hugged her brother

A small commotion outside made James move towards the window, and Talia sat herself up.

"It's been chaos here since Ethan died...your people need your leadership Rodrick" James says, "The small council is in a meeting right now, think you can make it?"

"Only one way to find out" Rodrick says

Talia gets up from the bed as Rodrick sits at the edge, preparing himself. He is able to stand, but quickly falls after taking a few steps forward. James shuts the door out of respect for Rodrick's honor while Talia helps her brother. James pulls out his sword and holds onto the blade, giving Rodrick the handle. Rodrick accepted the sword graciously, and lifted himself up.

* * *

After walking a bit, the three stand a few feet away from the entrance to the Great Hall. Rodrick starts walking forward, and James and Talia hang back a few steps. Some of the Whitehill soldiers took notice and started gibing at him. The Forrester and Winter onlookers smiled at him and watched as he approached the steps.

When the three made it to the base of the steps, a Whitehill soldier had sat down in front of them.

"Move, soldier" James says

"I'm quite comfortable thank you" The Whitehill soldier replies

The Whitehill soldier looks around to see a crowd gathering. From either stupidity or bravery, he stood up and walked up to Rodrick.

"I wonder what's weaker. Your legs, or this house" he says with a smug smile

"Move, NOW!" Rodrick says, making the guard flich

The Whitehill soldier walked away, and James and Talia led Rodrick inside. Once they stepped into the Great Hall the members of the small council took notice. Rodrick took a seat at the head of the table. Talia stood at his right and James to the left. The meeting started, and the members of the small council filled Rodrick in on what had been happening.

"New Whitehill soldiers are suppose to be here in a few days" Ser Royland states

"If we need more security, I think I know someone that can help" James inputs

"How?" Ser Royland asks, intrigued

James pulls out a letter with the Winter seal on it.

"My father is sending my sister over for support" James says, handing the letter to Rodrick, "He thinks that we may need more troops"

"This is very generous" Rodrick says after reading the letter, "More troops would be appreciated"

Soon they finished the council and went their separate ways. Talia said she had a surprise for James and asked him to wait by the training yard. James was a bit intrigued by this request and waited by Ser Royland training his men, with ome Winter Soldier help. Soon Talia appeared, wearing a small set of armor, and had a short sword at her side.

She approached him with a nervous smile, and says, "I told you I knew how to fight...would you care to spar?"

"Of course my lady" James replies, as they both walk into the training ground. Some soldiers stopped to look for a few seconds before training again. Once the two made it to a clear spot they picked up two shields, drew their swords, and touched blades. Talia jabbed forward, but quickly retreated back one step and swung low. James easily backed up to avoid being hit.

Talia then hid her petite frame behind the shield and charged forward. James sheathed is sword and grabbed Talia's shield and pushed it out of the way. He then found himself staring at the tip of a blade. Talia smirked in a victorious way and lowered the sword.

"Very good. That was smart in using your shield. I couldn't see behind it and you had the element of surprise, well done" James praises

"Thank you" Talia says, blushing a bit

"Here, let me show you something" James says, taking a position with his shield.

"If you time it right and aim it right, you can lift the enemy off the ground, watch"

James aims at one of the practice dummies and charges. He tilts the bottom of the shield up slightly, and raises the dummy out of the ground. He then tosses the piece of hay a good distance away from it's original spot.

"Impressive" Talia says

"Thank you. Care to continue sparing?" James says, raising his sword

"Of course, my lord" Talia says, copying his action

The two continued sparing for a while longer before Talia started running out of energy. They decided to take a brake and relax for a bit. After Talia changed her wardrobe, the two went for a walk through the woods and found themselves in a small clearing. Talia laid down against a tree and James sat down next to her. Talia pulled him down a bit more, slightly surprising him, and hugged his arm. James placed his free hand on Talia's hand, and took in the moment of quiet.

* * *

A few days later, Rodrick's betrothed had arrived, and James was escorting her to the Great Hall. He steps inside and tell the three in the room that she's here. They leave the room to Rodrick and Eleana. Outside, Lord Whitehill had welcomed himself in and made his way to the Great Hall. On his way he met James.

"You! I remember you boy. You had the audacity to make me bend down to leave this sh*thouse" Lord Whitehill says

"You helped in the killing of Lord Ethan, you deserved to crawl out, you creeten" James says

"I have business with the deceased, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get on with it"

"Get out of my sight" James says, bumping his shoulder against Lord Whitehill

James made his way outside to cool down. After some time, Lord Whiteblubber finally left, and Rodrick had informed him that the engagement was in effect. He was also informed that he kissed Lord White (*cough cough* fatty *cough cough*) hill's ring. James was a bit annoyed, but after hearing the reason let it slide.

A couple more days later, the day of the funeral was to take place. The bodies were ready, and Ryon was there. After Rodrick and Lady Foresster said a few words, Talia placed some Ironwood seeds in their hands. Rodrick approached Ethan's body and lit the pyre, then did the same with the late Lord Foresster. Talia then walked up to the front and stood on the platform. James gave her a comforting look. She took a calming breath before starting.

* * *

(A.N. Y'all get a song time. One of my favorite songs, so let's get this underway. Ballad of the Forresters)

 _From ice, from ice, we Forresters born,_

 _To ice we all return,_

 _Father, brother we mourn, we mourn,_

 _These family trees we've burned._

 _May kings and queens melt down their crowns._

 _A pyre on Aegon's hill._

 _In floods of gold, I pray they drown,_

 _For all the blood they spilled._

 _Mance, sound the horn of winters past_

 _Call starving giants forth._

 _Urge cannibals to break their fast,_

 _On wardens of the North._

 _Eastern mages empty the veins,_

 _Of beasts across the sea._

 _Paint Slaver's Bay in crimson rains,_

 _To bring Ethan back to me._

 _When Ramsey claimed me for his ward,_

 _Ethan spurred the tyrant,_

 _My brother's clam defied our lord,_

 _Ethan strong and silent._

 _Watch on, watch on,_

 _Ethan the wise,_

 _Old Gods be one with you._

 _Our Lord, my kin and an old soul dies._

 _So iron grows anew,_

 _Still iron grows anew._

(A.N. Moving on)

* * *

After singing, the sad group of friends stood and watched as the fire burned. Talia cried into James' arms as he holds her comfortably. Soon the small group disbanded and went their own ways. Ryon was unfortunately taken back to Highpoint with the Whitehill soldiers. In the guest chambers, James had taken off his armor and was leaving the washroom when he noticed a small bump under his blankets.

Obviously knowing who it was, James sat down next to the lump and pulled the blankets off. The tear shed face of Talia stared at James with a sad expression. Talia scooted over as James laid himself down next to her.

Talia says, "Promise you won't leave me", as she hugs him from the side

"I promise" James responds

"I can't lose you. It would hurt too much"

"You don't have to worry about me...if I'm being honest, I'm worried for you"

"Me? Why?"

"You've just lost your brother and found your father's deceased body. It's not an easy experience"

"I can handle it, and you help me to"

Talia gives James a kiss on the cheek and lays her head on his shoulder, smiling as his face adopts a paralyzed look.

* * *

A.N. And that's it. Next chapter shall be episode 3

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. Hello everyone. I honestly didn't expect this story to do so well. Let's bring up the Stat Chart:

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Let's start, jeez I say that a lot

* * *

James woke up with Talia's petite form wrapped around his body. A commotion could be heard outside, and James carefully got up and dressed in his armor before leaving the room. Once outside, a girl with golden-orange hair rides up to him with a white shield with a black star in the middle slung on her back.

"Hello, sister" James says

"Hello James, you've grown" Melissa says

Melissa was a few years older than James, and had the beauty of their mother. Their mother was supposedly a part of a noble family, and Marcus and her had met when they were at the young age of 17. She had very little interaction with her parents, especially after her mother had died giving birth to a son, and a friendship blossomed between the two. Unfortunately they had to part ways, but not before she gave birth to two children, James and Melissa.

"Bring your men with you?" James says as they both walked to the Great Hall. The sun was starting to rise, so the smallfolk and soldiers should be waking up.

"Yes, I did, and from your return letter, you should warn the Whitehill soldiers. My men are getting itchy for a fight"

James and his sister stood in the Great Hall and were surprised to see Rodrick sitting in a chair by the round table.

"If you're wondering, I saw you both through the window" Rodrick says

Melissa kneels down and says, "My Lord"

"Rise" Rodrick responds, "I'm honored to meet another member of House Winter"

"The honor is mine, my Lord. I was informed of recent events by my father, and I was sent down here to enforce this position"

"The help is appreciated, thank you for your support"

"It's no problem whatsoever. The bastard can't just get away with his crime"

"Agreed"

The two elder siblings continue talking

The sound of swords banging against shields can be heard outside.

"What is going on?" Rodrick says

Talia runs into the Great Hall with a worried look on her face.

"Rodrick, Lord Whitehill's son is here"

The small group of people leave the Great Hall and walk outside to see Whitehill soldiers with slamming their swords against their purple shields with a mountain in the middle. Rodrick approaches a mountain of a figure holding a torch with Lady Forrester, James and Melissa flanking him.

"What is this" Lady Forrester asks Ser Royland

The large man tossed the torch onto a pile of things and laughed as they burned.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Rodrick yells

The soldier continues laughing. A voice could be heard from behind the large man as a blonde haired man steps out.

"Strong words, for a cripple who can't carry a sword" Gryff says

"All of you, show your respect to Gryff Whitehill. Fourthborn son of Lord Ludd Whitehill and commander of this garrison" The giant says

"Cocky Rodrick we used to call you," Gryff says, walking around him, "Swinging your p**** 'round, lording it over my family. Now look at you, eh? Rodrick the Ruined" Gryff stops behind him, nearby Melissa.

"Hardly recognize you. But the name fits, don't it? Pathetic"

Gryff looks at Melissa and roams her body with his eyes. Melissa snorted in disgust and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Get your men out of my sight!" Rodrick says, gaining Gryff's attention, "This is absurd Gryff"

Gryff walked back forward, standing in-front of Rodrick.

"That sounds like the old Rodrick, beating his chest every chance he got," Gryff looked at the giant, "I don't think he gets it"

"No, my lord, I don't think he does" The giant says

Gryff started a rant about how he was in charge, and if he wasn't happy then no one was, blah blah blah. James tuned him out a while ago, until he mentioned him taking taking over the Great Hall. James nodded towards a few Winter soldiers and they positioned themselves at the stairs discreetly. Soon Duncan came riding in, and Gryff was pushing his luck.

Gryff mocked Rodrick about an 'army'. Obviously the Winter forces had hidden themselves very well. Gryff started towards the stairs, and Rodrick nodded to James, who nodded back. James and his men block the way, and keep their spears pointed downwards. James un-sheathes his spare sword, since Rodrick still had the other one, and pointed it at Gryff.

"Just try, and see what happens" James says

Gryff looked about ready to kill James, and says, "You dare threaten me!? Who is this man!"

Rodrick says, "He's not one of my men"

"Then who the bloody hell is he!?" Gryff says, not even look at Rodrick

"Men" James says, signalling them to brandish their shields. The Winter soldiers sling their shields over their shoulder which displayed the Winter emblem.

"So you're the little snot that killed my men" Gryff says

"Aye, and what are you going to do about it?"

"We out-number you" Gryff says with a cocky smirk, "So I suggest you move"

James laughs and says, "Apparently you haven't studied House Winter. You may out-number us, but are you as skilled as us"

"Obviously" Gryff says

"Then let's settle it. Right now. I choose one man to fight, and you do the same"

"If it'll get you out of the way, fine. I'm getting tired of this"

Gryff has his giant take place a few feet from the blockade. James nods to a soldier to his left. The Winter soldier slings his shield over his shoulder and hands his spear to another soldier. He unsheathes his sword as the giant does the same. Melissa walks into the middle, but not directly into the center, of the two warriors, and lifts up a heavy looking axe with ease. The axe swings down, and the battle commences.

The giant charged the Winter soldier and swung his large sword horizontally. The Winter soldier leaned his frame at a 90 degree angle backwards and lifted himself back up. The giant swung the sword back around vertically, and the Winter soldier stepped to the side. The Winter soldier swung down at the sword and knocked it out of the giant's hands, surprising some of the people watching.

The giant grabbed the sword, and the Winter soldier tried pulling it loose, but the giant had to firm a grip on it. The giant tosses the sword away and grabs the Winter by his visor. He pulls the helmet off his head and punches him on the side of his head, knocking him into the Winter Phalanx. The Winter soldier was thrown back at the giant, and slid down onto the ground.

The Winter soldier kicks the weak point in the legs of the giant, causing him to fall down. The Winter soldier pulls out a dagger from his pouch and aims it at the larger man's throat. The Winter soldier looks at James, who raises his arm up slightly. A few Whitehill soldiers that witnessed the execution looked a bit nervous.

James lowers his hand slowly, and the Winter soldier retracts and sheathes the dagger. The Winter soldier then walks back to the Phalanx and was given a pat on the shoulder from James. He stopped and turned to face the on-lookers with one side of his face black and blue.

"This man, just took down your best soldier on his own. Do you really want to face us?"

"Fine, we can just make ourselves at home you your barracks then. But this will have repercussions, I promise you that" Gryff says

"You know, you should really learn to _fear the cold_ " James says, as a chill went up the Whitehill people's spines. Gryff took the barracks and kicked the Forrester soldiers out, of course they were allowed to use the barracks. The Winter and Forrester soldiers slept in the Great Hall, sleeping on whatever they could. James took a seat at one of the windows, and held his hand on the hilt of his sword. Rodrick was given his father's sword, so James' sword was returned.

Talia was walking around, seeing if the soldiers were settling down ok, and saw James leaning his head against the window for support. She quietly approached him and saw black rings around his eyes. It had been a busy day, and he was obviously tired. Talia also saw Melissa walking towards him as well, and vise versa, and they both nodded to each other.

Talia got to him first and lightly touched his arm.

"James? You need to get some rest" Talia says

"Talia, I need to stand guard, I don't trust the Whitehills not to try something"

"I think that you got your point across when your soldier won"

Melissa approaches the two and says, "James, I can take watch. Go get some rest"

James nods to his sister and gets off of the small space. Talia directs him towards her quarters. Luckily he was already falling asleep, otherwise he would be curious as to why they were going to Talia's room (A.N. No, don't even think that). Once they got there, Talia took off James' armor, leaving him in his tunic. She then laid his tired form down onto the bed and curled up next to him.

"Rest well James, it's been a long day" Talia says, giving him a kiss on the cheek

As the two fell asleep, Lady Forrester closed the door quietly with a smile on her face. Rodrick walks up to his mother and asks, "You seem happy for some reason"

"I'm just happy that my little girl has found someone"

"What? You mean James?"

"Of course. You've seen the two together. They love each other, but they won't tell each other, not yet anyways"

"When this is all over, maybe they'll get a chance to. But until then, we all have to be cautious"

The two Forresters separated paths and went to attend to different tasks.

* * *

The next day, James and Talia are looking at the training ground from the watchtower and see the Whitehills demonstrating some "impressive" fighting moves.

"These men wouldn't be able to fight a child" James says

Talia laughs a bit at James' words, and leans her head against his shoulder.

"Maybe you should show them how a real soldier fights" Talia says

"You know, maybe I will"

James and Talia walk up to a few Winter soldiers and talk about doing some training. They readily agreed and went into the training ground with James. A few Whitehill soldiers sneered at them, what fools. James had two of the Winter soldiers show him how they were going in terms of strength, speed, and stamina. They pulled out their shields, but not swords.

One Winter soldier ran at the other while he lifted up his shield. The runner jumped and kicked the shield, and soldier, a good foot away. The shielded solder picked up a spear and dropped the shield. The other soldier took the shield off his arm and held it up. The soldier holding the spear threw it, catching some wind, before piercing the shield, with the tip almost touching the other solder's forehead. The soldier discarded the shield, and both looked to James.

"See those dead weights?" James says, pointing at the Whitehill soldiers, "See how many you can take down"

The Whitehill soldiers looked a bit nervous and held up their shields and swords. The two Winter solders nodded to each other and walked up to the scared group of soldiers. One tried to swing his sword down at one of the Winter soldiers, who just caught the blade with both his hands. James just stood and laughed asthe Whitehill soldiers tried climbing out of the training ground. Maybe things would get better.

* * *

A.N. And CUT! That's it for now. I'm having my finals so wish me luck everyone. And for the record, I know that I could easily have James kill off the Whitehills, but I want to follow the story line. Plus it would be to easy for them to take over. Until next time

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals, and I'll see you next chapter


	4. Chapter 4

A.N. Hello everyone. Time for the next chapter. But first, you guessed it, Stat Chart

Reviewers:

angel2203

GraffitiArtist14

Views:

858+

It's onto the confrontation with Gryff. I'm gonna change things a bit with it. Now forwards! To the story!

* * *

In the following days the Whitehills had stolen supplies, leaving the smallfolk coming to Ironrath for help. Gwyn Whitehill's warning of a spy only caused some paranoia in the small council, but otherwise was left alone for awhile. Rodrick was walking with James and Duncan by his side, discussing their food supplies when Gryff barges through the doors with Talia in his grasp and a Whitehill soldier nursing a swollen hand.

"Good, you're here" Gryff says, dragging Talia over, "Look at what this girl has done to my soldier"

They look to see a nasty bit mark on the Whitehill soldier's hand.

"Your sister attacked my man. This won't go un-punished Rodrick" Gryff says

"Are you afraid of a little girl?" Rodrick taunts

"Yeah, looks like it. She is pretty vicious after all" James says

"What!? I'm not afraid. Your people need to learn their place Rodrick, and it starts at the top"

"Watch your tongue boy" Royland says from the sidelines

"You need to get your men under control" Rodrick says

"My men aren't the problem here Rodrick, you need to get your people under control"

Talia pulls her arm out of Gryff's grasp and walks behind James.

"I saw him stealing food from our kitchen," Talia says, "I told him to stop, but he laid his hands on me, so I bit him"

"Resourceful" James says, with Talia giving him a smile

"That's the problem with you Forresters isn't it? Too f*cking proud, always have been. It was bad enough when you were above us. But now it's even worse, because you don't even see how far you've fallen!"

Talia approached Gryff and says, "Still high enough to look down at you!"

"Now here's a brave and wise girl. A girl that knows how to speak the truth of things" Royland praises

"No. A girl who should know her station!" Gryff says

Duncan tries to intervene, but fails. Gryff pushes Talia down to the ground, into some mud, covering the side of her face. Rodrick and James help her up, with James cleaning some of the mud off her face.

Once her face has been cleaned of most of the mud, James turns back to Gryff and punches him in the jaw. Gryff responds in a similar way, but hits James with a uppercut. Due to Gryff's large size he knocks James down on his back.

"You will learn some humility" Gryff says

"I have to say, you've grown some balls" James says

"Want me to gut him little brother?" Melissa says, grabbing the hilt of her sword

"To easy. Men!"

James' soldiers pulled out their swords and surrounded the Whitehills. James stood back up ad smirked at Gryff.

"Besides growing some balls, you've also grown in stupidity"

"How dare you!? I am in charge here!"

"If my memory is correct, Rodrick is the lord, not you" James takes a few seconds to compose himself before speaking again, "You humiliate Talia, insult their lord, and dare lay your hands on me! You're lucky my father doesn't declare war on your pathetic house!"

A couple Whitehill soldiers look at James enraged face in fear. They saw how the Winter soldiers trained, and it was not pretty. The Whitehills preferred to use dulled blades to prevent injury, but the Winters used actual blades, and cut away at each other.

"You have to right to even be here" James says

"I am here under the orders of the Warden of the North, Roose Bolton" Gryff says, "Are you willing to oppose him?"

"Yes, because I know that he wouldn't dare attack his strongest ally"

Gryff's face contorts into a rage filled expression and pulls out his sword, James follows and signals for his men to not interfere. Gryff lunges at James, who merely side-steps and avoids Gryff. Gryff signals for his giant to fight, and he pulled out his sword. James cracks his neck and sheathes his sword.

"Come at me then" James says

The giant charges and swings at James. He merely rolls around the larger man and kicks him in his arse, knocking him forward onto the ground.

"Not very balanced, are you?" James taunts, enraging the giant as he got up

Gryff swings his sword at James' legs. James jumps up and stomps down on the blade. He then kicks Gryff in the face and slides the sword to one of his men.

"I'm getting bored now. And here I thought this might be a challenge" James says, walking away, "Fight me when you know how to"

"You will pay for this" Gryff says

"Oh shut up" James says, leaving with his men

* * *

James goes to the forest and leaves his men on their own. He walks around to collect himself before sitting down and leaning against an ironwood tree. Talia found him and slowly approached him.

"Are you alright?" Talia asks

James motions for Talia to take a seat. She sits down and rests her head on James' shoulder.

"I'm sorry the did that to you" James says, wrapping an arm around Talia's shoulder

"Don't blame yourself, it's Gryff's fault...and it looks like he's been thoroughly humiliated"

"Heh, sorry if I frightened you"

"You didn't...in fact I was happy that you defended me, thank you"

"It was no problem at all my lady"

The two sit like that for what seems like minutes before Lady Forrester comes to retrieve Talia, saying that it was time to prepare for bed. Talia gave James a bold kiss on the check and left with a small blush. James smiled as he left as well. He headed for his sister to ask about what happened after he left. He found her in the Great Hall, speaking to Lady Forrester.

"He deserved what he got!" Melissa says

"He could have Ryon executed because of what your brother did!"

"If he did then he'd lose a bargaining tool"

"He doesn't even need to have Ryon, he could easily attack us and take Ironrath by force!"

Hey! What's going on?" James asks

"Your sister seems to think that ti's acceptable to fight Gryff and humiliate him" Lady Forrester says

"And you think it was un-called for?"

"Exactly. This could be the death of Ryon, and I won't be able to do anything about it"

"If it comes to it, I will personally invade Highpoint and take Ryon back"

"It wouldn't work. They's use him as a hostage" Melissa says

"True, but there has to be something we can do" James says

"For now, little brother, we wait"

James nods and they all separate for the night.

* * *

The following days, Royland started training Rodrick in the forest, with Talia and James as spectators. Talia was resting her head on James' lap as they watched them practice. Royland used a move on Rodrick that knocked him down to the ground. Rodrick attempted the same thing and succeeded on the second try.

Lady Elaena chose that moment to walk into the area with a younger guy in armor. Talia jumped up and welcomed Elaena, saying, "I hear we are to be sisters" in a happy tone. Everyone was politely dismissed. Of course they figured out what was going on when Rodrick brought the Glenmore Elite Guard through the gate.

Rodrick met James at the gate. Rodrick introduced the younger man as Arthur, Elaena's younger brother. Lady Forrester came running to Rodrick, saying that the maester and Gryff had a "disagreement" and things were out of hand. "I'll get my men" James says, running of to gather the Winter soldiers.

James rendezvoused with Arthur outside the doors to the Great Hall. The Winter soldiers were armed with spears and shields while the Glenmore's had their bows in their hands. Soon, the sound of an annoyed Gryff could be heard when he hit the floor. The bang of the cane was then heard, and then things got serious.

The side doors were kicked open, and the front door was kicked open by James. The Winter and Glenmore soldiers surrounded the Whitehills, which only consisted of four people, which included Gryff.

"What is this!?" Gryff yells as they two armies trained their weapons on the Whitehills.

"What are your orders?" Arthur asks

"Kill anyone that moves" Rodrick responds

One poor Whitehill backed up a bit, and had an arrow through his throat. One Winter soldier threw his spear at the other soldier, which impaled him through his chest. Lady Forrester helped the maester get away from the action ad into a safer range.

"You can't do this!" Gryff yells

"Now, about humility" Rodrick says

"Get your hands off me! " Gryff says as Glenmore soldiers hold him down. "My father will go straight to Roose Bolton. He'll flay you, your sister, and your whole f*cking family!"

"Shut your bloody mouth Gryff" James says

"I did warn him, did I not?" Rodrick says

"You gonna hurt me?" Gryff says, "Your friends won't be around forever Rodrick. And when they're gone-"

Gryff was silenced by a punch to the side of his face, cutting it, from Rodrick. He punched again before bashing the side of his head with his cane.

"That's enough!" Gryff yells

James walks up to Gryff and stares him down. He then nods to one of his men, who takes a chunk of ice from a pouch and hands it to James.

" _Fear the Cold_ " James says, giving Gryff a punch and quickly shoves the piece of ice and his mouth

James rams his mouth shut, crushing the ice. James then punches him, which causes the ice to scrape the inside of his mouth. He punches again, making the shattered ice cut Gryff's mouth again. James nods to Rodrick, letting him take over. Rodrick turns to Arthur and says, "Confine the Whitehills to the cellars. No one gets in, or out"

Arthur nods and leaves with his prisoners and men. Lady Forrester tells Rodrick that all the ravens must be killed to prevent news from reaching Highpoint. While the ravens were being put down, James and Melissa met together to discuss what their next move should be.

If we must, we'll invade Highpoint and take Ryon back" Melissa says

"Perhaps we can use Gryff as a bargaining chip" James responds

"Possibly, but remember, he is the fourth-born, and Lord Whitehill might not even care"

"Oh he will. He values family, just like us"

"Right"

In the days following, Rodrick, Talia and James were standing atop the watchtower when Lady Forrester approached them with a letter.

"What is it mother?" Rodrick asks

"Lord Whitehill has invited us to Highpoint"

* * *

A.N. Cue dramatic music! Cliffhanger., jeez, that's mean...oh well, lol. So that's it for now, and We'll have the Highpoint confrontation next chapter.

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


	5. Chapter 5

A.N. Hello everyone. Stat Chart time

Reviewers:

GraffitiArtist14

Views:

1,313+

Time for the confrontation. Also, I'm not sure if I should just make this an AU and keep going forward or wait for the next episode. Tell me in the reviews what you want my dear readers. And now without further adieu, the story

* * *

Rodrick decided to take Duncan and the Glenmore soldiers, as well as James and his sister, and a few Winter soldiers for protection. Approaching Highpoint, they look around at the desolate wasteland, covered in dust and dirt. They walk into the castle, and are approached by Gwyn Whitehill.

"Lord Rodrick, Lord James, Lady Elyssa, Lady Melissa, and...Arthur?"

"Gwyn" Lady Forrester responds

"Rodrick, may I speak with you?"

Gwyn pulled Rodrick away, leaving the others to talk among themselves. Soon they were led to the main doors to the Great Hall, where Rodrick and Gwyn talked about their family tree. They entered the Great Hall, where Lord Whitehill was nowhere to be found, but a couple crossbow men were waiting for them.

Gwynn left to find her father, leaving them to wait.

"Well, this seems lovely" James says

Everyone scatters around and looks at various items. There was salt and bread on the table and a rotten Ironwood shield hanging on the wall. Lord Whitehill came through the top door with a flourish, saying, "Rodrick". He made his way downstairs, saying, "You aren't nervous are you?"

"I remember the Red Wedding" Rodrick responds

"I'm nothing like Walder Frey. But you seem to have brought Glenmore and Winter soldiers"

Lord Whitehill took a seat at the head of the table and gestured for them to do the same. Rodrick, Lady Forrester, and Duncan took a seat while the others stayed standing. Lord Whitehill started with a toast to family, which Rodrick went along with. He then went on about the Ironwood business. But when Rodrick mentioned something about an alliance, he went off.

Lord Whitehill started on a rant about having Gryff tearing down Ironrath. It was time to lay down the trump card.

"We've locked up Gryff and your entire f*cking garrison in our dungeons" Rodrick says

"What? You imprisoned my son!?" Lord Whitehill says, "He was there by order of the Warden of the North!"

"Now, I have a deal for you"

"We want Ryon back, and we want him now" Lady Forrester says

Lord Whitehill slumps down for a few seconds and thinks. He then says, "Bring the boy". Ryon was brought out from a corridor behind Lord Whitehill.

"Rodrick! You came for me-"

Lord Whitehill seized Ryon and holds a three pointed utensil at Ryon, cutting his cheek. The Glenmore's drew their bows, and the Winter sodleris drew their spears and shields.

* * *

(A.N. Alternate ending here. I'll write the attack ending, which will be very different, but I'm going to continue with the bluff choice)

[Attack]

"Now Arthur, James, Melissa!" Rodrick yells

Arthur shoots an arrow into Lord Whitehill's throat, and the Winter soldiers pull up their shields, preventing the bowmen from hurting them. The Forresters, including Ryon, ran behind the soldiers. Duncan blocked a blow coming from a Whitehill soldier behind him, and sliced him across his chest.

James threw his spear at the Whitehill that brought Ryon in, impaling him through the chest. Gwyn was left to run through the back corridor where Ryon was taken through. The Winter soldiers stormed the stairs, slaughtering the Whitehill troopers trying to reload or escape. They were cut down one by one, with James and Melissa in the lead.

"Get out of here!" James yells, cutting down another Whitehill that had come from the door where Lord Whitehill came from. "We'll keep them occupied"

An arrow from a crossbow scrapped itself against James' shoulder pad. James saw the Whitehill solder and carved his way to him. He then stabbed him in the stomach and looked to see if the Forresters had left, they had, leaving a few dead Whitehills in their wake. James then twisted his sword, and upwardly cleaved the man in half.

" _FEAR THE COLD_! AND DIE!" James yells, discarding his shield and pulling out his dagger

The Forresters quickly left with the Glenmore's in the lead. Rodrick was helped by Duncan so they could move faster. Once they got outside, they saw the Winter soldiers at the top of the castle's walls, fighting off more Whitehills. None of them seemed to be harmed with more than a few lucky cuts. James sees them and waves to them. He gives Rodrick a nod, which Rodrick returned.

The Forresters and Glenmores left the way they came, and headed back to Ironrath. James watched as they left.

"Talia..." James says, "I love you". He turns around to see the Whitehill soldiers in front of him, poised for the kill. The Winter soldiers had made a phalanx, keeping the army of Whitehills at bay.

"We've had a good run little brother" Melissa says

"Yeah, we have, haven't we? Let's make it a good one boys" Jame yells, "Make them _fear the cold_ , and know that Winter is coming for them! CHARGE!"

The Winter soldiers went into two people per group and started attacking the Whitehills. James and Melissa were a swirl of swords and blood, painting the roof red. Whether they won or lost, it would be a fight that would be remembered for the days to come.

(A.N. How'd you all like that? Pretty intense, right? Well, let's continue with the actual storyline)

* * *

[Call Bluff]

"Go ahead and kill him" Rodrick says

A mix of reaction occur.

"Don't think I won't"

"You won't, because for all you bluster, all your posturing, you still care for your son"

Lord Whitehill looked at Gwyn and then had a pensive look on his face.

"You know what Rodrick? You're right" Lord Whitehill says, tossing Ryon to the ground

"Ryon, come here" Rodrick says

"No" Lord Whitehill interrupts, "We make the trade on neutral soil. Gryff for Ryon, a son for a son. May the gods have mercy when the Boltons come for their Ironwood"

"It's been a pleasure Ludd" Rodrick says

Lord Whitehill just grunt, and Gwyn apologizes.

As Ryon was being taken away, he yelled, "Iron from Ice!"

Rodrick earned a look of determination on his face before leaving with James, who was waiting for him.

The trip back to Ironrath was un-eventful. When they got back, they dismounted and tied the horses down.

"I can't believe it's over. Soon Ryon will be back home, sleeping in his bed and eating at the table like he use to" Lady Forrester says

"It was worth it. Nothing's more important than family" Rodrick says

"Oh Rodrick..." Lady Forrester says, with a distant look on her face, "Sometimes you sound just like your father"

"Wait...where is everyone?" Melissa says

Laughter could be heard from inside. Rodrick and James went inside to investigate. Once they got close enough to the Great Hall, they could hear someone inside, talking to Talia.

"I recognize that voice" James says

Rodrick opens the door, and they both start walking towards Ramsey. Talia takes notice and says Rodrick's name.

"Rodrick!" Ramsey exclaims, perking up

"Ramsey Snow, welcome to Ironrath" Rodrick says

"Such courtesy, now I see where your sister gets her manners. It's been lovely, hasn't it? Say it, say it's been lovely"

"It's been...lovely" Talia says meekly, looking to James with scared eyes

"And you" Ramsey says, "I hear that you're a man that can't be broken. I had to see it for myself"

* * *

A.N. And cliffhanger! OH NO! Well, until next time I guess. Remember, AU or wait.

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


	6. Chapter 6

A.N. Hello everyone. Sorry for the long wait, but playing through the fifth episode was a great experience for me, so I'm glad I didn't change anything...yet. So we bring up the Stat Chart:

Reviewers:

Kranon the Deathclaw-Human (Thanks for the heads up, but unfortunately I was away when it was updated. Also I know about the spelling errors, and I will keep the names as accurate as I can with the future chapters)

GraffitiArtist14 (Glad you like both endings)

Guest (Indeed)

Views:

2,049+

Now it's on the the Bastille! Also, this'll be the whole episode...'cause most of it's not located in Ironrath so I don't have much to write with. Sorry if that annoys anyone. Also, there'll be a surprise at the end...not a good one.

* * *

James rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he watched the two. He spared a look at Talia, who looked petrified. Giving her a reassuring nod, James focused on the two men once again.

"You murdered my brother" Rodrik says

"I've murdered a lot of brothers," Ramsay responds, "Sisters..."

Ramsay then gets up and walks up to Rodrik.

"Let's go for a walk. Oh, you won't be needing that" Ramsay says, gesturing to Rodrik's sword

Rodrik complies and hands Ramsay his sword. James keeps his knife hidden, but gives Ramsay his sword as well when asked.

"That was easy" Ramsay says, "Isn't that better?"

Ramsay then looked at Talia and says, "You're coming with us"

"This is lord business. Talia doesn't need to be there" Rodrik says

"Oh, I think she does" Ramsay says, "Besides, I don't trust her with my men"

From there, the four people left Ironrath and started walking down the dirt road leading to the funeral site.

Ramsay slows down a bit to grab Talia's hand, which made her nervous.

"I always like the forest" Ramsay says, "I've become very good at finding people"

Talia looks at James with a scared expression. James gives her a small smile and says, "It's alright Talia"

Soon screams can be heard, putting the Forresters and James on alert. After walking a few more feet, they see the funeral site, and Arthur tied to the Bolton's sigil.

"By the Gods!"

"Oh no!"

"Bloody Hell!"

Ramsay punches Rodrik in the gut and knocks him to the ground. He then kicks him in the gut and walks over to Arthur with his flaying knife. Ramsay puts pressure against Arthur's head with the knife, and carves a line down the side of his head. Talia is begging for him to stop, while James tries to shield her from the sight.

Ramsay walked over to Talia and said, "Look at him Talia"

Talia looked and cringed at the gruesome scene. Ramsay walked over to Rodrik, who was being held by Bolton soldiers. He then said, "You want to kill me"

Ramsay had him men let Rodrik go, and held out his knife. Rodrik took the knife, and Ramsay pressed it against his own neck.

"Do it. Avenge your brother" Ramsay says

"He's playing with you" James says

Rodrik pushes forward, but Ramsay quickly pushes Rodrik away while taking the knife back. Laughing, He says, "Good thing you're a cripple. Maybe I misjudged you. I came here to kill you, but now I think I'll let you and ludd fight it out"

"House Forrester shall prevail" James says

"An interesting idea" Ramsay says, "I never want to return to this sh*t-hole of a house every again"

Ramsay then slices Arthur's gut open and departs with him men, leaving the torn friends to themselves.

* * *

Soon Forrester soldiers were there with a cart, and started moving the body. Rodrik let James and Talia leave early while he tended to the body.

With the two, James and Talia went back to Ironrath and stood atop the Watchtower, staring at the people as they went about their business as best they could.

"It all seems so peaceful, yet so tragic" Talia says, leaning against James

"I know what you mean"

"I'm thinking ahead a long way from now but...one day, when there's peace...would you...I mean, do you think?"

"Something wrong Talia?"

"*Sigh* I just...I don't know how to say it"

"Whatever it is, you can trust me"

James turned her around so that they were facing each other. He looked lovingly into her eyes, which gave her the courage to speak.

"I was wondering if...when we're older...you'd marry me..." Talia says, looking away embarrassed

"Oh...Talia, you know that I care about you"

James tilted her face back and looked her in the eyes.

"I love you Talia, and nothing would make me happier than being able to wed you"

Talia grew a big smile on her face. As they leaned towards each other, they started to close their eyes and they came closer...closer...closer.

Unfortunately, Maester Ortengryn chose that moment to interrupt the young couple.

"*Cough cough cough* Excuse me, but Lord Winter is needed for a moment" Ortengryn says with a humorous look on his face

"Of course, uh, what is the matter?" James asks

The Maester holds out a letter, which James takes. It bore the Winter Seal, so He opened it and started reading.

 _Dear son,_

 _I write to you as a warning. Earlier today we were visited by the Bastard of the Boltons..._

* * *

Lord Winter was overseeing a duel between two veterans when a squire walked up to him and waited for permission to speak.

"Go ahead" Lord Winter says in his usual authoritative voice

"Ramsay Snow is here my lord. Wanting to discuss some business about Ironrath"

"*Sigh* fine, let him in"

Ramsay walks in with two of his own guards at his side.

"Lord Winter, a pleasure to meet you"Ramsay says

"Ramsay Snow...what brings you to my keep?"

"A word about your children stationed in Ironrath. My father was not informed of this involvment and is a bit perplexed as to why you would send aid"

"I have my reasons, and none of them concern yourself or your father"

"My father is the Warden of the North, making everything his business"

"Your father knows that I only take orders from the king. So if that is all, you'd best take your leave"

A few Winter guards rest their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"Of course, Lord Winter" Ramsay says, taking a bow and leaving

As soon as Ramsay had left, Lord Winter yelled out to his squire.

"Get me some parchment, I must inform my children of this development. And...prepare two owls for flight"

* * *

"- _Be wary of whom you trust. It may lead to yourdownfall_ " James finishes reading

James found himself in his chambers after reading the letter, pondering over it's contents. Talia walked in with a tired look on her face.

"I planned on going for a walk, care to join me?"

"Of course"

The two decided to revisit to the grove, hand in hand. Once they got there, they saw a person already there. Once he left, they waited for a few minutes to make sure he was gone. They both explored the area to find a piece of parchment with House Foresster intel.

"What? Why would he-"

"We need to get back Talia, now"

The next morning, James and Talia approached Rodrik's door. James knocked on the door and heard some commotion before the door was opened. They saw Rodrik shirtless, but Lady Elaena wearing some of Rodrik's clothes. Talia, understanding what happened as well as James, blushed at the sight.

"Oh, Lady Elaena, Rodrik, sorry to interrupt" Talia says embarassed

James just looks at the floor awkwardly. Lady Elaena soon leaves, and James and Talia can inform Rodrik of what happened.

"Rodrik, last night I was having nightmares, and I asked James to go on a walk with me" Talia says, moving towards the window, "We went back to the grove"

"Only someone was there" James finishes

He then handed Rodrik the piece of parchment and says, "He left this behind"

"How many fighting men we have, where the Whitehill garrison is, it even mentions Elaena?!"

"We saw who it was, Rodrik" James says, earning a glare from Talia

"Who?"

"Rodrik, he's like family. But it doesn't matter. You need to punish him like any other man"

"Just tell me who he is" Rodrik says, looking to James

"He's in the Great Hall right now. Follow us"

The three headed to the Great Hall, where a fire could be seen. Rodrik sent Talia off for some guards while Him and James would confront the traitor. They both walked in to see Ser Royland tending to the fire.

"My lord, your frigtened me" Royland says, then takes notice of the piece of parchment, "So, you found out"

"Why Royland?" James asks, "Why betray your house! Your family!"

"You've squandered every chance to reclaim this house" Royland says, then goes off on a rant. Lady Foresster, Talia, Duncan, Melissa, and a few guards entered after his rant. He even admits to releasing Gryff, but also says that it would have been an ambush.

"Kill me, and Asher dies" Royland says

"I'll spare you, now what do you mean?" Rodrik asks

"Lord Whitehill plans on ambushing Asher at port" Royland says

"I'll get our men ready" Melissa says

Royland is taken away by the guards as they all prep for war. They all ride out to the port and start setting up defenses. The Winter soldiers grouped in various places with the Foresster soldiers. Soon Asher showed up with a group of rugged looking fighters, and they all started to head out before pleasantries could be exchanged.

Asher noticed a soldier walking towards the gate hinges, but failed to react in time as the gate was closed on them, trapping Rodrik, Asher, and James inside with a few soldiers from all three sides. The Winter soldiers gathered around James as they all took up battle positions. They made their way to the gate where the beast trying to open the gate.

The Whitehill giant chucked a spear at the Beast, which impailed him through his side. The Winter soldiers kept guard while the three pulled at the gate wheel.

"It's stuck!" Rodrik yells

James gets a thoughtful look on his face.

"One of us will have to stay behind" James says

After a brief moment, James says "I'll do it"

"What?"

"You two need to get out for your house. Besides, if I'm killed, my father goes to war"

"What about Talia?" Rodrik asks

"Tell her I'm sorry that we never had that first kiss" James says with a sad face

Rodrik gives him a solemn nod.

"Now go, save your house" James says

The two foressters quickly dive under the gate opening.

"Men, get out of here, they'll need every soldier they can get"

The Winter soldiers reluctantly climb under the gate as well, and James lets it fall. He then runs up to the wall where Melissa was standing.

"What are you doing!?"

"The Foressters need to survive. Please...make sure that happens, and...take care of Talia"

Melissa reaches through one of the gate holes and ruffles James' hair. She also hands him a small paper wrap which glowed green.

"Give them hell brother"

"I'll make them _Fear the cold_ "

Melissa nods before joining the others and mounts on her horse. James turns around as they ride away, and lifts up his shield and sword, ready for death. James blocked a swing from a Whitehill soldier with his shield from the right and stabbed him in the chest. The next one her punches with the hilt of his sword, which knocks him down, and crushes his neck with his foot.

James then blocked some arrows from above and quickly moved out of the way of the Whitehill Giant. James threw his shield, which hit the giant in the head, stunning him for a second, before charging forward. James stabbed the giant with his sword in his neck and twisted the blade until the head tore off.

The archers took shots at James, hitting him in his chest and shoulders. James kept swinging his sword and cutting down Whitehill men. He then locked eyes with Gryff, who was sitting atop a horse smiling smugly at him. James kept swinging even though he was being shot and stabbed.

He felt himself loosing strength, and pulled out the small package. He couldn't throw it at Gryff, but he could take a couple Whitehills close out with him. As he rised his hand, memories of himself and Talia came to mind. All the good timmes they had, how close they were to each others first kiss. They were good memories.

As James slammed his hand down, he had a smile on his face as the green flames engulfed him.

* * *

A.N. Wow, what an ending to a chapter. Now the traitor can change from Royland or Duncan, but my plauthrough I got Royland, so...yeah. Who would've thought James was going to die! Or is he going to die? Hmm...well, perhaps I should give you some more.

* * *

(Some time after Cersei confronted Mira)

A snow white owl landed on the window of her chambers. Cersei knew only one house that used that kind of animal for messages, and that house was in the North. She recalled her time with a certain man, who had seen through her cold exterior as a young woman and made love to her.

She did a very good job at hiding her pregnancy, and her lover helped as well. It was a surprise when She had a beautiful baby girl as well, but a nice surprise. She looked over the letter, and realized that her offspring were in some sort of trouble. Steeling her rezolve, she wrote a letter back and sent the owl on it's way.

She quickly lifted some planks from under her bed and pulled out a Lock Box. She took a metal pendant from uder the Lock Box, which showed a snowflake on one side. She then placed the snowflake side on a small opening, and unlocked the box. She opened it, and looked at her mementoes. One item that caught Cersei's attention was a ring, forged out of left over Valarien Steel that made her lover's sword.

She felt the ring in her fingers before placing it back in her Lock Box. She then re-locked the box and hid it under the planks again. Cersei then laid down on her bed, thinking that maybe she should pay a visit to the North.

* * *

A.N. WHOA! More stuff, right? That'll be it 'till next time so...yeah.

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


	7. Chapter 7

A.N. Hello my readers I have got to say that the last episode was very well done. I really hope they make a season 2, and if there is news of something like that, please tell me. Now, onto the Stat Chart:

Reviewers:

randomdude24 (I corrected the mistake, and thanks for pointing it out. For me, Roylands betrayal was a connection to me, since I appreciate warriors and soldiers, and honor my veterans as well. Since it was Royland on my playthrough I feel that he betrayed his duty and honor (traitor, turn coat, etc.), something that is not taken very lightly)

King James10158 (Thank you)

Blood on my Machete (Yup, they are indeed her bastards. Bet you didn't see that coming)

Guest #1 (Yup)

Direwolf94 (Thanks for that bit of information, and I'm glad you like the story)

Guest #2 (You're right, I didn't, but I did manage to complete the game with all blue lettering [unwavering conviction])

Guest #3 (You are good)

Views:

3,591+

* * *

The smallfolk of Ironwrath awaited the return of their lord with what they hoped to be an army that would out match the Whitehills. The Winter soldiers were outstanding, but it wouldn't take much for three Whitehills to overwhelm one soldier that could get seperated from the others. A Forrester soldier spotted the convoy returning, and helped in opening the gates.

The returning soldiers, and lord, rode or walked in and were welcomed by all. Rodrik, Asher, Beskha, and Melissa dismounted and took a few steps forward as Lady Forrester, Elaena, and Talia nearly ran to them.

"Asher, you're home" Lady Forrester says with a smile on her face

"Hello mother, it is good to see you"

Lady Forrester wraps her arms around her second-born son in a brief but heart warming hug. Even though he was exiled, Asher was still a Forrester child in the lady's eyes.

"Hold on a second, where's James?" Talia says, noticing that he wasn't amongst the crowd and would have already embraced her by now. She began to feel nervous as Rodrik and Asher exchanged a concerned look at each other.

"What is it?"

Rodrik looked at Talia with sadness in his eyes as he says, "He didn't make it Talia. He saved us, but couldn't make it out himself"

"What!" Talia yells, "No, he can't be gone. Did you see him fall?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then there's a chance he's still alive! How could you leave him!" Talia yells before running back into the keep

"I'll see to her. You'd better inform everyone about what had transpired." Melissa says before walking off

Inside Talia ran to her room and collapsed on her bed in tears. Realistically speaking she knew what happened, but she couldn't help but feel James is still alive. She hardly took notice when the door opened.

"I share your grief, but am able to conceal it much better"

"Oh, Melissa...I'm sorry you have to see me in this state."

"It's no trouble at all. I know you had feelings for my brother, and if pains me to see his own love suffer like this."

The two girls talked some more before Rodrik came into the room with news that a plan would need to be made in order to protect the keep. Melissa left Talia, who had calmed down considerably well, and followed Rodrik into the Great Hall where the other leaders were waiting.

"Let us begin" Rodrik says as he takes a seat at the head of the table.

"I was brought here to fight, but even I know that there will be no fight, only a massacre!" The black skinned woman says, who Melissa remembers as Amaya

"I sent an owl to my father requesting aid, and he hasn't responded yet." Melissa says

"Well what are we going to do right now! The Whitehill soldiers are already gathering out there, and this "keep" won't last long. It's made of wood!"

"Rodrik, what if we use that old hunting trail?" Asher suggests

"Right, we could flank the Whitehills at night, and possibly rescue Ryon as well. Good idea brother"

"That's my little brother, of course he is missing one important part of the plan," Beskha says, "If either of you are spotted behind these walls, you'll be dead within seconds."

"So in other words, we'd need to be stealthy. Thank you for your input."

A Forrester Guard burst into the hall and said a quick apology before informing everyone that the Whitehills had arrived. They all headed outside to see a massive army outside the walls. As Rodrik approached the gate Ludd came ridding forward on a horse with his son and Ryon, being guarded of course.

"Rodrik, I'm surprised to still see you. My son was suppose to get rid of Asher, but obviously failed." Ludd says with a disappointed glare at Gryff

"I struck down the Winter bastard. Isn't that good enough!"

"We'll discuss this later. We came by to give you an offer. Become one of my bannermen and continue making Ironwood, under supervision of course. We would seal this agreement with a marriage between Asher...and my daughter Gwyn."

Rodrik's eyebrow raised at that as Asher's face turned into one of surprise.

"Why would you make us this offer after attempting to kill my brother, my own blood."

"It wasn't my idea, I can assure you of that, but my daughter still believes we can make peace. I can at least humor my daughter."

"Give us time to think this over."

"You have until tomorrow...oh, and we have something for the Lady Winter."

Melissa stepped forward until she was a foot away from Rodrik. Ludd signalled to Gryff, who pulled out a pike, with James' head adorning the tip. Melissa gripped the hilt of her sword tightly with a rageful expression on her face while everyone else flinched in shock. Ludd then took his leave as they left the pike inpaled in the ground.

"Get the head, quickly." Melissa says

"Why? What are you going to do?" Rodrik asks

"I need a place where I won't be bothered, and maybe, just maybe, I can bring my brother back."

Melissa quickly rushes out to get the pike and head, and brings them both inside the walls.

"How? You're not a witch are you?" Lady Foresster asks

"Of course not, but with the help of the Gods, I will be able to restore him to his body."

"She can use the grove." Talia says, "Where we buried Father and Ethan."

"That should work, but I still wonder how you're going to do this." Rodrik says

"Well, you're welcome to watch."

Intrigued, the small group follow Melissa to the grove, where she places the head on the ground. She has a Winter Soldier hand her a glowing light blue crystal. She placed the gem inside James' mouth and starts chanting.

" _Qardaşım hörmətli , mənə qaytarın. Başqa döyüş yaxın gəlir. Siz mübarizə bilər bizə qayıtmaq və başqa gecə_ _üçün bir daha sevgi._ "

A glow enveloped James' head as it expanded into a bright light. After a bright flash, a pile of snow was left where the head was. The Foressters were about to fear the worst, but the now shifted, and revealed a fully armored James Winter back from the dead. He cracked a few bones as he looked at his sister.

"Took you long enough." James says, before looking at Talia

She was smilling with a bright glow on her face, and ran to James and jumped into her arms. Talia didn't give a damn if she wasn't acting like a lady, and continue to hug her love with a fierce passion.

"I missed you, my love." James says, returning the hug

"I-I saw your head...and no body, it was disgusting."

"I'm not that bad looking am I?"

Talia gives a small chuckle as tears poured from her eyes. Melissa and Rodrik gathered everyone away to give them their moment.

"Talia, a battle is coming, and I don't want you in the middle of it."

"Don't you start. I can fight, you know I can."

"I do know, but can you kill? That's the most important question you have to ask yourself when going into battle."

The two stay silent for a moment longer before heading back into the keep. James leaves Talia in her room asleep before making his way to Rodrik's quarters. Upon arriving, he knocks on the door and waits for a few seconds before it opens.

"I thought I could talk to you about something, my lord." James says

"Alright." Rodrik responds, opening the door wider so James could enter. When he does so, James closes the door for privacy.

"I came here to talk to you about something important."

"And that would be?"

"My death. Now, the death of Lord Winter's son will reach him, and when it does..."

"He'll come here looking for revenge."

"Exactly. Of course, my father knows that my sister would restore me to my body, but he'll still want his revenge."

"Then we should fortify our defenses and hold out as long as we can until the reinforcements arrive."

* * *

(A.N. I did have a letter planned, but stupid website logged me out so I lost some work.)

Further South Lord Marcus Winter finished preparing for battle. He planned to ride North and slaughter the Whitehills, but changed his mind after recieveing a message from Cersei Lannister. She had informed him that a message had been sent to Roose Bolton basically stating that if he couldn't stop the houses under his control from fighting then the king might not have use for him. Lifting up his war axe, Marcus signalled for them to move forward. Behind his 3,000 men was seige weapons and extra weapons that would be used.

It took a good two days, but they eventually made it. Marcus had his men set up camp and scout the area. When the scouts returned, they reported around 500 Whitehill soldiers camping a few miles over the ridge. Marcus walked up to a highpoint and saw the encampment.

It looked small compared to his own, but had men stationed on the ridge to keep watch. Things were going well, but it only took one moment for something to go wrong.

Marcus returned to the camp, where he went inside his tent to rest, wondering what happened while he was traveling with his men.

* * *

[One Day Ago]

"Ludd has agreed to meet two days from now. We can get everyone into position by then?" Rodrik asks his small council

"Yes, I also came up with a plan to use more soldiers." Melissa says

"What might that be?"

"We can make small pit under the floor where 4 or 5 soldiers can wait in a few groups. Then, we can have more fighting power when the ambush begins."

"Good idea, I'll have someone get to work on that."

With that the meeting was ended, and Rodrik had some smallfolk work on hollowing out some of the pits. James went to Talia's Room, where the girl herself was waiting. The two sat down next to each other and talked about their plans. Not the battle plans, the plans of what they would do after the war ended. Talia came up with the idea of making a small house inbetween Ironrath and the Wolfswood. It would be nearby both Winter and Foresster castles, so they would be close to home.

Soon night gathered in the sky, and the pits were made and the floor re-sanded to make it look like nothing was out of the ordinary. Food and other supplies were put down in case someone actually saw them and asked. The handle was put on the inside, but the space between the planks could easily be shifted to allow access.

James had gifted Talia with a Valyrian Steel Shortsword. It was one of the many heirlooms that the Winter Family had left, and Talia saw it as an honor. James just wanted to give his love something nice. The sword was named Chill, due to it's cold feel and use in many area.

James and Talia spent the night resting with each other, with both of them hoping for the best in the future.

* * *

A.N. That's it folks. Next chapter shall be the grande finale! I hope you're all ready, because it's going to be a wild ride. Also, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has read my story and reviewed. It means a lot and helps give me inspiration to write

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


	8. Chapter 8

A.N. Hello everyone, sorry for the long wait, but here we are at the climax of this story. I'm wondering if I should make an epilogue chapter, or just wrap everything up here. We'll know soon enough. Now the customary Stat Chart:

Reviewers:

Artos the Implacable (All very good points. I like the idea about the picnic though.)

mpowers045 (I do know, but I just thought it might be unique for one house to use a different bird.)

Kranon the Deathclaw-Human (Indeed. Gwyn'll be staying with the Forresters but that topic isn't going to really be focused on.)

C.E.W (You are very good my friend. You've made a lot of good observations.)

Guest (This doesn't really follow Mira, so i don't know how to proceed. If anyone has any suggestions I'll gladly use them.)

hodhod2011danger (He is indeed.)

Master of Dragons God (Indeed.)

DealWithAnnaTalsie0025 (Awesome.)

The MZ-FIT G-MR's Productions (Your wait has ended.)

Views:

6,435+

Posted:

5/16/16

Thanks for everyone who stuck with me through this story. It's been a blast. Also, I think it's acceptable to say the canon timeline for GoT has been altered, yup. But hey, that's what makes this fun

* * *

James looked over the Forrester Walls and saw the army in front of them. Everything was set, and all they were waiting on was the Whitehills. Talia joined him atop the wall and leaned against him.

"One way or another, this war is going to end." James says, wrapping his arm around her shoulder

"I know we'll win. You and your men, not to mention your sister, will keep us safe."

"I love you Talia."

"And I love you."

The two walked down and met up with James' sister, who was sharpening her sword.

"You two'd better get ready. The Whitehills are suppose to be here soon." Melissa says without looking up at the two

"Alright. let's go Talia."

They went into the great hall, where the Winter, Forrester, and sell swords were already getting into their small pits. James helped place the covers over the doors while Lady Forrester called Talia away to help her with another matter.

Outside, Gwyn Whitehill arrived on her own by horseback in what appeared to be a hurry, and asked to speak with Rodrik and Asher. She was brought to the two men, who were talking in the Great hall, and were slightly surprised to see her with a troubled face.

"Gwyn, what's the matter?" Asher asks

"Oh Asher, it's good to see you again, but I have bad news. My father intends on killing you all during the wedding."

"What?" Rodrik exclaims

"I overheard him talking with his men, and I felt I should warn you. I want us to be happy together, but we won't be happy if my father goes through with his plan. It's a good thing my father sent me to try and make you surrender, he shouldn't suspect a thing."

"Gwyn, you're committing treason against your lord, your father. Are you sure about this?" Rodrik asks

Gwyn stares Rodrik in the face and says yes.

"Very well, but understand that you will be under watch until this war has ended, understood?"

"Yes, my lord."

Gwyn was escorted out by a Winter and Forrester soldier and left to deliver the message that the Forresters were ready to "surrender".

"Can we trust her?" James asks Rodrik

"We'll find out soon enough."

After a long few minutes, Lord Whitehill arrived with an identically large man that James killed, his daughter, son, and a group of soldiers. The large man walked up to James with a sneer on his face.

"I'm told the man that killed my brother was the son of the Winters. That's you."

"And you are?"

"Harys, and I'm gonna be your doom."

Harys walked past and continued following his lord.

"Bastard, I bet he can't even hold that sword of his properly." Melissa says, standing next to her brother

"He's here to intimidate us, but it won't work. Come on, let's head inside to join in on the 'festivities'."

The two winter children entered and made their way to the great hall. In another part of the North, there is a very annoyed Warden of the North.

* * *

"Ramsay, I've been hearing word that the Northern houses have been fighting. In fact, it's caught the attention of the king. Apparently he's starting to question my station as Warden of the North." Roose Bolton says

"I shall end the conflict immediately if you wish, father."

"No, I shall end this foolish conflict. You will accompany me though."

"Of course father."

Roose Bolton gathered his men and had them march towards House Forrester. It took a good day to arrive, and what he saw angered him greatly.

* * *

[Before Roose Bolton's Arrival]

Lord Whitehill strutted into the Great hall like he owned the place, and walked up to the Forrester and Winter leaders. A few Whitehill men shoved some of the sellswords out of the way.

"Rodrik, who would have thought that you'd be welcoming me into your halls. Consider it a great honor."

"It's an honor that we may combine our two houses in marriage." Rodrik says his very rehearsed speech

"What!?" Ludd exclaims in confusion

"Let's get on with it."

The houses all take their seats, but Lord Whitehill insisted on taking the chair at the head of the table.

"It's just a chair." Asher says

"By all means Lord Whitehill, if you wish to have this seat then by all means take it." Rodrik says

"I can take whatever the f*** I want. Something's not right though."

"Father, please." Gwyn says

After that altercation ended, everyone took their seat. Gryff threw insults at Asher about his 'honor' and how he would do anyone, or thing, for the right price.

"Gryff, do you recall what I did to your giant? I suggest you stop acting so childish before another incident like that occurs." James says

"Enough Gryff, sit down already and let's drink!" Ludd says

Talia brought some wine and poured Lord Whitehill's glass. She then took a seat next to James and wrapped her hand in his. James noticed a few Whitehills with crossbows hanging lazily in their arms, or put under their tables for easy access.

"What shall we toast to?" Gwyn asks

"To family." Rodrik says, raising his glass.

Everyone follows as well and they drink their wine.

"Ah, that was refreshing," Lord Whitehills states, "But not as good as our wine of course."

To an inexperienced man the look he threw his soldiers would have gone un-noticed, but Rodrik, Asher, James, and Melissa noticed and discreetly rested their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"You know, Rodrik, I have a feeling that this wedding will benefit us all. To make my point..."

Lord Whitehill signals his men to attack, and the few crossbow men shot at the Forresters and Winters at the table. James and Beskha sprung to action and used their chairs to block the crossbow bolts. Everyone in the room went into a battle frenzy, and the hiding troops sprung out and attacked. Asher jumped onto the table and started crossing blades with Gryff while Lord Whitehill made his retreat. Rodrik pursued him and ran out of the Great Hall.

Gwyn took cover behind Melissa, who cut down a Whitehill soldiers that was stupid enough to try and attack her. Melissa made her way into the center of the room, where she assisted her brother with a small group of Whitehills.

"How many are you at brother?" Melissa asks.

"I've got seven, how about you?"

"Only at five."

In a matter of seconds, the remaining Whitehills were killed and Gryff lay dead at Asher's feet. Gwyn made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug. James and Melissa made their way outside to see Rodrik rallying his men. James and Melissa did the same and stood beside Rodrik, waiting for his order.

Rodrik gave the order to charge, and everyone surged forward. They saved as many smallfolk as they could and cut down many Whitehills at the same time. James and Rodrik saw an opening to Lord Whitehill, and the two charged forward, only to be stopped by Harys atop a horse. Poor horse.

Harys swung at Rodrik with his mace and rode past him. James tossed Rodrik a spear, and he dismounted Harys from the horse. James and Rodrik faced off against Harys, and blocked his blows that came at a surprisingly fast speed. Harys knock James into some Whitehills soldiers, who were cut down when James arced his sword in a wide horizontal swipe.

James then looked to see Rodrik being pinned down by Harys, and Talia ran in with armor and stabbed Harys in the shoulder with a knife.

"You Forrester b*tch!." Harys says, easily punching Talia a good few feet away from him. James gritted his teeth and charged forward with a war cry that his father would be proud of. He then barraged Harys with multiple blows and finally knocked the sword out of his hands. James grabbed another sword laying on the ground and started impaling Harys in his chest over and over until Rodrik stopped him.

"James! That's enough, he's dead!" Rodrik says, pulling James off the mutilated body.

James tossed the second sword away and looked around the area to assess the situation. The Whitehills were being cut down, but it wouldn't be long for the gate to be busted down. Even in battle, everyone heard the sound of a horn being blown from the hill a good distance away.

Rodrik ran to the top of the wall, where Asher was finishing off a Whitehill. The two were joined by Melissa, who pointed out that shadows were coming over the hill. It was her father.

* * *

Marcus Winter was sharpening his sword when a squire came into his tent to tell him that a battle had ensued. Marcus sheathed his sword and made his way to the ridge of the hill and looked at the chaos.

"Get my armor boy." Marcus says in an authoritative tone.

The squire ran off to fetch Marcus' armor while he rallied the troops. After his men were assembled Marcus had his squire armor him up as his Master-At-Arms hand him his mace.

"On this day, we shall crush our enemies and avenge my son, who was killed by the Whitehills! Now we shall destroy the Whitehills once and for all!" Marcus yells, mounting up on his horse.

The Winter soldiers mounted as well and waited for the signal. Marcus nodded to the squire as he blew the horn.

Marcus charged forward with his men trailing behind him. He raised his mace into the air and swung it downwards as he got close to the Whitehills and decimated their numbers.

Melissa let out a cheer as he father broke the Whitehills lines. Rodrik realized that they were flanking the Whitehills. If they were able to hold onto Ironrath then they had a chance at winning.

"Form up men! Hold the gate!" Rodrik yells.

The Forresters rush to the gate and hold it against the battering ram as best they can. Rodrik could see James embracing Talia in the courtyard and smiled as he pulled her into cover.

* * *

James moved Talia to cover in the forge. He then gently rested his and on the bruise that was starting to form on the side of Talia's cheek.

"You gonna be ok?" James asks.

"I'll be fine. I've got you to protect me." Talia responds, "I wanted to give you something I asked the blacksmith to make."

Talis walks around the forge and pulls out a beautiful long sword with an ironwood handle. Talia hands James the sword and he swings it around to test it.

"This is a nice sword. Thank you Talia." James says, giving Talia a peck on the cheek.

"T-thank you, J-James." Talia says, blushing

"Now, listen carefully. I want you to stay here for now. Now wait, before you start protesting, I know you can hold your own, but I can't see you go down again like when you saved your brother."

"James, I can-"

"I don't want to see you die!" James blurts out, "I've already died, and I don't want to have to resurrect you. I don't want to feel your skin turn cold and the life flee from your eyes."

"Is that why you're always so cold? You've died before coming here?"

"...Yes. Fighting a group of mercenaries, one got the drop on me. When my family is resurrected through the snow out scars are gone, but we're left with an everlasting cold."

Talia wraps her arm around James in a hug.

"I don't care if you're different from anyone else. I love you, and I will fight with you."

"Talia-"

"NO! I said I love you, and that means I'm not leaving you. We'll fight together."

James thought it over for what felt like hours but in reality was only a minute.

"Alright. Grab a shield and we'll face those Whitehill bastards." James says.

After Talia grabbed her shield the two exited and were met by two Whitehill soldiers. James took the one of the left while Talia fought the one of the right. James overwhelmed his opponent with quick slashes from his two swords and cut him down quickly. Talia applied a method she thought of after her and James spared. Talia covered her body with the shield and charged forward. The Whitehill soldier pushed the shield out of the way only to be met with a sword through the chest.

"Very well done, Talia." James praises.

Outside of Ironrath Marcus was crushing the Whitehill men and noticed Lord Bolton looking at the battlefield from afar. Marcus smirked as he knew things were going to get very complicated for the Warden of the North.

* * *

A.N. I guess we wait 'till next chapter. No spoilers, but season 6 is good so far.

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world and I'll see you next chapter


	9. Chapter 9

A.N. Hello everyone. Time for the next chapter. But first, Stat Chart:

Reviewers:

Light Lord Cybergate (Not to be rude but there are still a couple Starks hanging around. Thanks for the review though.)

tamagat (It's really good in my opinion. Can't wait for Season 2)

C.E.W. (All very good points.)

Gon (Glad you loved it)

Views:

9,225+

Posted:

9/18/16

Now we continue with the battle. This is going to be fun. Also, I'm doing my research on weddings so we can have one. Wish me luck in that regard. Fun fact, I originally started making this chapter exactly 3 months ago. That is cool for me.

* * *

Marcus Winter crushed an unfortunate Whitehill with his mace when he foolishly charged at him. He looked at the battleground around him and noticed most of the Whitehills were starting to surrender upon realizing they were surrounded.

"Start rounding up prisoners," Marcus says to his Master-At-Arms, "and kill anyone that gives you trouble."

The Winter Master-At-Arms, Zyre Torrent, gathered a group of men and herded the Whitehills into groups of 20. After a couple more hours Roose Bolton "ordered" Marcus Winter and a morally defeated Ludd Whitehill to his encampment.

The two stood at attention in front of Roose, who was sitting in a chair with a scowl on his face.

"Alright Roose, you got us here," Marcus states, "Now let's talk."

* * *

[3 hours before meeting]

Once the prisoners were stuck in cages Marcus gathered a few men to check out Ironrath. The remaining Whitehills inside were slaughtered and James and Melissa were reunited with their father.

"James, I knew your sister would be able to resurrect you." Marcus says.

"We should start calling him James The Cold." Melissa states.

"Right, well what's our next move father?" James asks.

"The prisoners are to be imprisoned or executed, you can handle that son. Also, I'm awaiting a meeting with our Illustrious Warden of the North. Oh Melissa you can assist James if you'd like."

Marcus then departed to await for his summoning. While that happened James and Melissa went to work choosing who would join the Winter Ranks, who would be kept prisoner, and who would die. James took personal satisfaction in watching the Winter Veterans knock the new recruits around. James looked to the Bolton's encampment and wondered what the leaders were talking about.

* * *

"So, it is agreed. Ludd you will stay out of the Forrester and Winter affairs. Also, if I hear anything else about this stupid feud I will end it personally." Roose says.

"Well if that's all, I suppose I should let some of my prisoners go." Marcus says, taking his leave.

"That man thinks so highly of himself." Ludd says arrogantly.

"He is one of the best warriors in all of Westeros. Please don't tell me you've never heard of his story."

"It uh...might 'ave slipped my memory."

"He's traveled around the world in his youth, learning nearly every form of battle. He fought against great Khals and spared them, took personal fighting lessons from the Lannister's previous masters-at-arms, and even claimed to train the Red Viper."

"All fake probably, just to gain popularity."

"I fought with him during the Greyjoy's Rebellion, and he single handedly boarded a ship and sank it all with a smaller version of the mace he now carries. I will be sending your son to take over as Lord of Highpoint. Now, get out of my sight."

Lord Whitehill left and re-joined the men that he still had. One question that had been going through Ludd's mind was where were the Winter Forces during the Red Wedding. Why wasn't the Winter Army fighting with their king.

* * *

The following days pass uneventful with a wedding between James and Talia to take place soon. On that night James and Talia were brought to the Godswood with the guests holding torches and James waiting at the Weirwood Tree. Rodrick walked Talia forwards to stand in front of James, wearing a beautiful wedding dress.

"Who comes before the Old Gods this night." Marcus says.

"Talia, of House Forrester, comes here to be wed. A woman grown, true and noble. She comes to beg the blessing of the Gods. Who comes to claim her?" Rodrik says.

James steps forwards.

"James, of House Winter, Heir to the Frozen Keep. Who gives her?"

"Rodrik, of House Forrster, loyal ally and friend to House Winter."

"Lady Talia, do you take this man?" Marcus asks.

"I take this man." Talia states.

James and Talia then join hands and kneel before the Weirwood Heart Tree. After a silent prayer then stand and James removes the veil covering Talia's face and wraps a cloak around her bearing the Winter sigil. From there everyone returned to Ironrath and the celebration ensued. People drank and ate and all sorts of merriment. After a while James and Talia retired to their chambers, which was Talia's room converted to suit a couple. The two decided to wait before they consummated, and instead decided to just fall asleep in each others arms.

In the morning James saw his sister away. She was to return to the Frozen Keep with their father and attempt to train the new recruits.

"Have fun sis, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them made a pass."

"Those ones will lose their tongue if they do."

"Hahaha, take care sister."

"You too brother."

With that Melissa rose off with their father, and she reveled in the cold breeze the flowed through the air. Melissa recalled a tale of how House Winter was born. A group of men and women settled down in a pile of rubble, and they build a great keep in the years that followed. While building it the wind peppered them with freezing rain and snow, and the people became numb to the cold. As time went on the cold only made them stronger, and the future generations benefited from this new power, or so the story says.

Once they arrived at the Frozen Keep Melissa is surprised to see Lannister men.

"What is your business here." Melissa says.

"Aren't you an adorable little girl playing in armor."

"And aren't you a nice little grub, who's probably better at beating up little children than a grown woman."

"You little-"

"That's enough."

Marcus quickly inhales as he looks upon the only person ever to defeat him.

"My Queen."

"Lord Winter."

From there Melissa brought the new recruits to the training ground and arranged temporary living arrangements for the Lannister men while her father had a meeting with the queen. Well, "meeting".

If anyone were listening they would have heard the sensual sounds of kissing coming from the Lord's bedroom. Inside Marcus lay shirtless with Cersei on his bed.

"Why have you come here, my love?"

"I heard about what happened and came north to see you. I told my father about the internal fighting and told him I could handle the matter."

"It's nice to see you again."

"Mmm, how are my children?"

"They're fine. Melissa is growing into a fine young woman. She was brave to confront your Gold Cloak."

"Ser Meryn Trant. A fool. Melissa is growing into a beautiful young woman."

"One day she'll be happy to meet you and share moments together."

"I hope so. How is our son?"

"Happily married actually to the Forrester's second daughter."

"From what I've heard from the people she's a very kind girl."

"She is, I had the pleasure of meeting her during the celebrations."

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

"ME as well my love, but right now is not the time still."

"I know, but I shall always love you."

Cersei spent the night at the Frozen Keep and left in the morning. When she arrived at Casterly Rock Cersei informed her father that the internal fighting had ended. From there she went about her life.

* * *

Back at at Ironrath preparations had been made for the new Lord Whitehill. Rodrik and Torrhen had written ravens to each other discussing an alliance that would be made through the marriage of Gwyn and Asher. All parties were in agreement and preparations were made for another wedding and the new lord's arrival. When Torrhen arrived he was given control of Highpoint.

Torrhen's father would only reside in the keep and provide wisdom, well, whatever's close to it. It would now be up to Torrhen to make the decisions. The following day Asher and Gwyn were wed in a similar fashion like James and Talia. This time the couple did consummate the marriage and were as content as they could be. Over the following days and months Rodrik, Torrhen, and James all became close friends.

James definitely preferred Torrhen rather than Gryff. Torrhen knew something of battle and the two shared a common liking of battle. Ironwood had also been growing in both lands with everyone's co-operation and careful tending. Things were looking to be very prosperous with Lord Bolton buying both land's lumber. During those months Rodrik also married Elaena, who became pregnant with Rodrik's child.

* * *

Up in the far north at the Wall another member of the Winter House cuts the head clean off a Wildling. Tertius Winter, a middle aged man, stood by his brothers as they fended off the Wildlings. He was surprised to see Stannis Baratheon ride in with his soldiers. After day after the battle Stannis left the Wall with Jon Snow to negotiate with the King Beyond the Wall.

Tertius agreed with Jon Snow in regards to the Wildlings. They needed them to fight the White Walkers an survive the coming winter. After a long few weeks Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon gained a number of Wildling supporters. Stannis got impatient though and Tertius watched as he led his own forced to the Dreadfort.

Tertius helped tend to the Wildlings and assisted Jon Snow as a tactician, and in due time Tertius was following behind Jon as he led the Wildling Forces.

"Well Lord Snow," Tertius says, "time to avenge your family."

From a distance a lone horseman came riding at them.

* * *

[Some time before]

"Alright Talia, swing low then hack right and left. There we go, good job."

"James, I don't think I'm build to use this heavy a battle axe."

"Alright. Why don't we rest."

Talia lets out a sigh as she drops the battle axe with a thud.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" James suggests.

"That sounds nice."

The two walk into the grove and talk about recent events.

"Did you hear about Tywin Lannister's death? They say he died on a chamber pot, poor man." James says.

"Yes, Rodrik told me that he died. What does that mean?"

"I means that Lord Bolton's power in the North is weakening. If he wants to stay in control he's gonna need to rebel against the Lannisters and take them out."

"That means he'd going to need to call the banner men then."

"That's correct."

"And you'll be going off to war."

"Also correct."

"James, look at me."

They stop.

"I'm...I'm scared for you. Terrified."

"Why's that love?"

"I don't want you to die."

"Don't worry. If it does come to that I can always be res-"

"I don't want you to have to be resurrected. I don't want you to die period."

"Hey hey, calm down. Don't worry."

"But I do worry."

"You know me. You know how well I fight, and I'm smart too. I won't be dying until we're both too old to get out of bed."

"Alright...why don't we get back to our room. it's getting late."

"Yeah, let's get some rest."

The two young lovers went off to sleep, but little did they know that things would be taking a change in a very bloody way.

* * *

A.N. Finally got this finished. Sorry for the wait. Yeah, things are happening and war is on the horizon. I got nothing else, so...yeah.

Reviews would be appreciated

Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter


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